Why have some countries have been more successful in welfare state reform than others?
This book examines the experiences of various countries in reforming their welfare states through renegotiations between the state and peak associations of employers and employees. This corporatist concertation has been blamed for bringing about all the ills of the welfare state, but lately corporate institutions have learned from their bad performances, modified their structures and style of operation, and assumed responsibility for welfare state reform.
Consensual bargaining is back on the agenda of both policy makers and of social science. This topical volume with its internationally respected panel of contributors will appeal to all those interested in the welfare state and labour relations. It includes chapters focusing on the Netherlands, Austria, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland and Ireland as well as a section looking at the role of corporatist concertation in the European Union.

• Cover 2
• Renegotiating the Welfare State: Flexible Adjustment through Corporatist Concertation 5
• Copyright 6
• Contents 7
• Illustrations 9
• Contributors 11
• Acknowledgements 13
• Part I Introduction 15
  • 1 Renegotiating the welfare state through corporatist concertation: An introduction 17
• Part II Countries with traditions of corporatist concertation 45
  • 2 The resurgence of Dutch corporatist policy coordination in an age of globalization 47
  • 3 The societal and historical embeddedness of Dutch corporatism 84
  • 4 Austrian social partnership: Just a midlife crisis? 111
  • 5 Nordic corporatism and welfare state reforms: Denmark and Sweden compared 128
  • 6 Welfare state adjustment between consensual and adversarial politics: The institutional context of reform in Germany 156